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For years, we’ve had one bit of information drilled into our heads at every opportunity: to be a healthy person and general proper adult, you need to be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

When we actually manage to eat five healthy things, we feel pretty damn smug. It’s great. We’re so healthy. We’re going to live forever.

But as we all know, the world of health and science can’t let us be smug for long.

Here’s the comedown from the ‘I just ate two apples!’ high: apparently we should be eating ten portions of fruit and veg a day – not just five.

Agh.

(Picture: Getty)

A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology says that eating an extra five portions of fruit and vegetables (as in, in addition to the five you’re – hopefully – already having) can further reduce the chance of developing diseases.

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The researchers predict that 7.8million premature deaths could be prevented if everyone went ahead and ate ten portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

While even the previously recommended five portions of healthy stuff reduced the risk of the disease, the greatest health benefit came from eating 800g of fruit and veg each day. If we assume that 80g is one portion, that’s 10 portions a day. So reach for the broccoli, ASAP.

(Picture: metro.co.uk)

If you’re not even managing your five a day, however, you shouldn’t give up hope and pack in the healthy eating entirely. Even a little bit of fruit has huge benefits – just not as huge as those you’ll get from eating ten portions.

A daily intake of just two and a half portions of fruit and veg was associated with a 16% reduced risk of heart disease, a 4% lower risk of cancer, and a 15% reduction in the risk of premature death. Snazzy.

Consuming ten portions, though, was associated with a 24% reduced risk of heart disease, a 13% lower risk of cancer, and a 31% risk of dying prematurely.

That’s a significant jump, so it seems pretty worth it to munch on a few more pears and courgettes a day. In exchange for a longer life, we’ll happily eat a few more greens.

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Another important note from the study: If you’re looking to lower risks for specific diseases, it’s worth choosing particular types of fruit and vegetables, rather than just eating your favourites (sadly, eating box after box of strawberries won’t actually do you that much good).

(Picture: Metro.co.uk/Getty Images)

To reduce the risk of cancer you should be eating green vegetables, such as green beans; yellow and orange vegetables, such as carrots and peppers, and cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.